Video

People who have been isolated from immigration issues tend to think everything is so simple. They never wonder: How real or artificial are our borders? What is our responsibility in what happens in places like Mexico, like when OUR politician’s NAFTA agreement and OUR agricultural subsidies to large farming corporations in combination with the eliminated import protections from NAFTA destroy the family farms of countless Mexicans, so they are forced to flee north across the border to pick our melons for starvation waves for sheer survival? Or: Can an 18-month-old baby really break the law?

Therefore I am sharing a video I shared before, over a year ago, as a reminder:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “American Sueño Part 1: Meet Marisol”)

That’s the problem with demagoguery. A lot of people in a country suffer and want change. Along comes a demagogue who hides the true causes and solutions for their problems behind scapegoating a group of even weaker people who cannot defend themselves against these false accusations because they are at the very bottom of the economic and political hierarchy or a too-small minority. Continue reading →

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I have featured Mike Figueredo before to share his many spot-on insights and carefully gathered facts. He recently released a record length video compilation, over three hours long (and full of good stuff), a length that many of us can probably only handle on a weekend, except for those set up to listen to his podcasts while commuting.

Hence this part 2 of my video weekend post dedicated to Mike’s “Humanist Report.” To make it easier to handle, I have written up a timeline so you can more easily watch it in parts. The timeline is posted in the “Continue reading…” section below the video:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Hillary Clinton and Her Minions Seek Vengeance on America | Episode 110 “)

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Once again, a collection of fine videos to brighten your weekend with enlightenment and fuel for our political revolution:

I.Jimmy Dore and Lee Camp together. A fine duo. Unfortunately, I felt they had both made the same statements before, and better, when they did them alone and better prepared. Still, I like what comes up 14:20 minutes into this clip (asking why you would donate to the “Democratic Party” when its primaries are rigged by its own admission!). The talk then moves to the topic of our rigged debates keeping out third parties… handcuffing presidential candidates to keep them away from the rigged debates… and record climate events in the past two months. Later Lee Camp, talking about Bannon, reveals how our corporate media lift up right-wingers by allowing only THEM to criticize corruption even though they are part of it):

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Jimmy Dore On The Corporate State And The Power Of The Petrodollar “)

II.
Political wrangling surrounding Bernie’s Medicare for All bill:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Some Democrats Are Pretending Bernie’s ‘Medicare for All’ Bill Doesn’t Exist “)

III.
The usual lies about healthcare costs and single-payer:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Aetna CEO is Scared To Death of Single-Payer”)

Debunking one of the biggest lies: No, single-payer coverage such as Medicare for All is not single-provider healthcare, meaning a government-run healthcare, but merely a government-secured payment system. So, you can pick and choose your doctors as before, except this time their will be no question whether or not you can pay. It is simply our government doing its sworn duty to look out for its citizens.

IV.
Cha-Ching:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Obama Enriches Self With Back Room Oil Deal”)

V.
We have a responsibility not only for ourselves to fix our country:

Various revelations about our country’s dark history. Also: an interesting and creepy revelation from former war correspondent Chris Hedges. He explains how the despotic regime in a foreign country went through the same motions as our southern states with their glorification of the Confederation: basically, when people are getting desperate over their worsening lives, give them a myth to feel good about, the better to control them. In our case, that myth would be the ‘noble heroism’ of our civil war’s slavery defenders, building up a white-against-black and south-against-north mentality that keeps us from uniting against the blood-sucking establishment controlling and exploiting us from above. The more divided we are, the better controlled from the top we are.

VI.
An older but very nice conversation:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Cornel West and Richard Wolff talk about Capitalism and White Supremacy”)

How much better off are freed slaves when they become enslaved by a wage slavery system? When one king of a company can hire and fire you, abuse you, rip you off and make you lick his boots – and every alternative job is just as bad – it is anathema to democracy!

VII.
Nice historic review of the last century of our economy and politics – the New Deal and its repeal:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Full Show 11/11/15: How Reaganomics Killed America’s Middle Class”)

Conclusion: we can’t keep a golden age after getting it, if we don’t topple the plutocrats who will roll back everything to resume their godlike status among a sea of serfs. The pendulum will always swing back to the dark side if we do nothing to lock it in place.

VIII.
And not to forget: the environment we depend on. One thing apparently forgotten in this conversation was the great danger that lies in our getting the permafrost soil to melt, releasing huge amounts of methane, which is a far worse greenhouse gas than CO2. Basically, we are terraforming ourselves off this planet:

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Remember the report that,thanks to Equifax, we may all become victims of identity theft? The possibilities: credit card fraud, tax refund theft, ruined reputations and credit ratings replete with denied apartments, insurances, or jobs, and even worse: credit cards or bank accounts being set up in our names and the bill collectors coming for us over those false accounts, arrest warrants getting issued against us because of the crimes of others, arresting police shooting us in our beds… at least that’s what I can imagine coming at us. Here is an update interview:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Massachusetts First to Sue Equifax Over Massive Hack “)

It’s really sad to hear that the vulnerability is said to have been in an open-source software, since open-source is usually considered one of the best protections against hacking. But, of course, it won’t help when the quickly produced patches are not applied down the line, in this case by the staff of one of our three ruling credit bureaus. Continue reading →

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Once again, friends, I give you a great collection of recent videos which will fire up your will to fight for a better world and warm your hearts in the company of like-minded fighting spirits who, just like you and I, have had enough of a rigged system and corrupt despots in our lives.

I. A MUST-SEE: THE ONE BIG VIDEO only a weekend may give you time for. A really great conference FULL OF GREAT THOUGHTS :

We have Trump as POTUS now because we don’t have a working people’s party in this country. While the majority of us (60% of Americans) wish for a new party to end the corruption of our party duopoly, a growing bunch of folks are working hard to actually make it happen(you may join them). Some of the leading figures met recently to discuss many issues and work on the plan. This clip, while really long, is well worth watching. The perhaps best part (among many great ones), at least for me, goesfrom 1:20:00 to 1:32:27:

Another good point made here: Our ruling politicians are posers, posing to be the people’s representatives, posing to be working Americans’ friends.

II. American Tribalism & Hillary’s Continued Blame Campaign:

How segments of the people get played against each other, and what it takes for some people to be shaken out of their happy bubble slumber.

Lee Camp reacts to HRC’s recent alternative facts book and media campaign. Talk about a horrific zombie on TV…

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “[77] How Alternative Media Can Win “)

III. The Walking Dead

Sheesh! Crooked Hillary crawling back from the grave gives me a reason to actually look into right-wing media. It’s amazing how (with a few exceptions of dubious stuff) the below clip is spot on and better than what most “left” media have to say about this corrupt graft politician:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: ” She DESTROYS HILLARY’S NEW BOOK! “)

IV. Fun Snapshot

To conclude on the last issue, a little fun in form of an unedited smart-phone recording. You probably have seen it already, but in case you haven’t, here it is:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: ” Hillary Clinton Confronted at 2017 Book Signing! Deleted Emails? Benghazi? Seth Rich? [mirrored]“)

V. And Since We Are on the Topic of Fun…

Successful revolutionaries throughout history have always reminded us that we must find joy in the fight to fight it well and not burn out, and – indeed – comedians have often been the first voices of rebellion:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: ” Lee Camp and Jimmy Dore: Comedy’s Role In Political Revolution“)

VI. Finally, Bernie on the Election Theft Against Him:

A rare moment: Bernie hedgingly commenting on the DNC’s election fraud in the 2016 primaries .

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: ” Bernie Sanders Finally Comments On DNC Fraud Lawsuit“)

Bernie responded to this caller as I expected: he carefully avoids entering a risky debate, but between the lines hints that he always knew he would be up against a gigantic political machine of utter corruption, that he went in for the long fight on the issues not just a quick win of the highest office which was practically impossible while this corruption is at the height of its power, and that he got the stone rolling for a political revolution which no man can run alone. We, who have awoken, must wake up more of our fellow Americans and form a political movement millions strong to set things right in our country.

VII. Two Shining Stars Talking

And, to finish an insightful conversation between Tim Black and Kashama Sawant :

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: »Kashama Sawant: “The Democratic Party Will Not Be Our Vehicle For Change!”«)

Kashama Sawant: “The Democratic Party Will Not Be Our Vehicle For Change!”Kashama Sawant: “What a person looks like is less important than whose side they are on.”

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and don’t forget to share these videos with your friends and family! 🙂

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Medicare for All. We all want it. And the healthcare profiteers and their political cronies have been fighting it tooth and nail since FDR’s days, happy to see us suffer and die as long as they can extort us.

In fact, blocking healthcare for all isn’t enough for the worst of the political leeches in office. The crooks in the “right” arm of the establishment party (the arm called the Republican Party) are gearing up for yet one more effort to repeal Obamacare (despite the fact that he copied it from them). Despite all the popular unrest about this, they still wish to replace it with that heinous billionaire tax gift that is Trump’s wealthcare plan. (with a “w” rather than “h” when not mendaciously misspelled). At the same time, if sparingly released news are to be believed,arguably the worst of them all, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is making yet anotherattempt to demolish Medicare by privatizing the program to mainly benefit huge insurance companies while also giving yet more tax breaks to the very wealthiest Americans. (Can people who so betray the American people really still be called Americans?)

In the meantime, to move the fight for justice forward, Bernie recently unveiled his new Medicare for All bill proposal. Here is the ceremony:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Bernie Sanders Unveils the Medicare for All Act – September 13th,2017”)

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Oh, yes… the mind-warping power of privilege… Once again, a recorded political conversation inspired me to take the conversation further among us. The below interview is quite interesting (despite for, if you ask me, too much apologetics for the Hillary camp from a guy who can’t quite leave his bubble of privilege). What makes it interesting is an insider’s insight into in the layer of society from which our self-serving politicians derive. The most interesting part starts around 15:30 minutes into the clip:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Corporate Democrats Have a Vested Interest in Not Listening to Workers – RAI with Thomas Frank (¼)”)

The a deeper insight into our ruling class that we can draw from this is the following: Continue reading →

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Even as record-size hurricanes keep tearing into the nation, the political mud slinging continues. Good grief! Well, be prepared, fine people who want to clean up the mess of our country: you are going to get more smears and gaslighting. Mrs. Clinton just came out with a book preaching alternative facts (in other words: lies and creative interpretations to warp reality). So, anyone who accuses any of us of not letting go of the 2016 debacle and Hillary’s second historic failure to realize her dynastic claim on the American throne, let’s be clear: it’s her not going away. It’s her continuing the smears side by side with all those other neoliberal handmaidens of the robber billionaires and their destructive corporations. And, of course, they do this in order to continue their devastating politics which has been flushing our country and its people down the drain. You smearers and gaslighters seriously expect us not to fight back when you act to harm our country? Naturally, we shouldn’t spend much time on these silly excuses and justifications for 2016, because we mustn’t let ourselves be distracted from the real issues. Let’s just place a response for the sake of defending against fake facts and then return to fighting on the issues. Continue reading →

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CBS reported it has been more than 100 years, in the U.S., since two category-4 hurricanes have made landfall in the same year. Tearing through the Caribbean, Irma was upgraded to category 5! And, meanwhile, Hurricane Jose is coming strong in its wake, a third big hurricane (or tropical storm for hair-splitters?) to form within some two weeks of time in our part of the planet. According to USA Today, Hurricane Jose joined Irma in reaching 150 mph winds on Friday, the first time on record the Atlantic has seen two storms that intense at same time. Meanwhile a 4th, weaker (105-mph) hurricane named Katia (it has been rare so far to have three roaring at the same time) is taking aim at Mexico’s east coast right now.

With all this happening, who here still insists on denying climate change or, in other words, reality? Years ago, I explained the severe weather events from global warming (including strengthened blizzards in wintry regions on Earth) comparing our planet to a pot of water being brought to a boil (the turbulent boiling water being our atmosphere in the analogy). I have been around long enough to have personally experienced our climate change. The cold winters of my youth are gone where I grew up, and record low harvests are hitting the farmers there from way to many rains in the growing season, rotting grains and fruits. Back in my earlier years, no-one ever imagined melting ice caps on the poles and polar bears swimming to Canadian beaches seeking refuge. Climate change is real, folks; and among this weekend’s videos is plenty of evidence.

Some notable facts before the videos start:

Communication with Cuba and other Caribbean islands has been lost. Barbuda, the first island to feel the force of Hurricane Irma was devastated. Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said 90% of buildings have been destroyed (the count may have risen to 95% by now), and 50% of the population of around 1,000 have been left homeless.

ABC’s West Palm Beach news announced that Irma’s 24-hour-long 185 mph winds are unprecedented in recorded history! According to ABC Action Weather, Irma would be classified as category 6 if 5 weren’t the highest number on our rating scale. Maybe climate change will soon force us to expand the scale? I heard of storm surges up to 20 feet in the Caribbean.

Another sad piece of related news: price gouging by some airlines asking people trying to get to safety thousands of dollars for inland flights. Likewise, I heard of $45 prices charged on water bottle packs.

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Hurricane Irma Is Stronger Than Katrina Was At Its Peak “)

Overall, Katrina killed 1,245–1,836 people, making it the deadliest United States hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. It’s really sad that some right-wingers among our political crooks have been trying to rewrite history by spreading rumors that it was Obama, not Bush II and his war-profiteering and torture-promoting puppeteer Dick Cheney, who stood by idly as the catastrophe unfolded. Katrina also opened our eyes to how much our infrastructure, built during the New Deal, has been left to rot since our robber billionaires and our politicians and media pundits joined forces to focus exclusively on squeezing wealth from the middle and bottom to the top of the dungheap society we have become.

A bit more about our current storms:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Strongest Hurricane EVER RECORDED In Atlantic Heading Toward Puerto Rico And Florida”)

What a storm surge is and how it comes to be:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “What exactly is storm surge? “)

… and some more on our climate change catastrophes:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It “)

Montana is an example for the disastrous result of curring government spending in areas that protect and serve the people and our lands (while always maintaining and boosting the graft and pork spending such as military expenditures and corporate subsidies in connection with which we never hear a peep about budget deficits).

I have noticeably reduced the degree to which I watch The Young Turks (other than their associate Jimmy Dore, that is) ever since Cenk Uygur and others switched to supporting HRC in the 2016 presidential election — and after some underhanded smear attacks against citizen journalists — but I want to share this clip, largely because it rings true with me what these guys are saying about the reality perception and compassion of traditional “conservatives” (or GOP-voters) based on my own personal experience with many of them:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “The Trick To Being A Paid Liar: Zero Empathy “)

A little explanation of the greenhouse effect behind climate change:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Simple Explanation of Climate Change “)

A little bit more explanation of climate change:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Climate change explained in under 2 minutes “)

If you want to listen to a pointy-headed scientist for nearly 20 minutes, here you can (For me it got really interesting 12 minutes in):

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “Climate Change Explained and Proof it’s Man Made (Dr. Michael E. Mann 1 of 2) “)

And, I guess, I just learned that pointy hats are designed to hide balding. 😉

As a final word on the issue in this post, maybe I should remind everybody that I now offer an online science course which makes science super easy and fun and removes all excuses for science illiteracy and denial such as climate change denial even as hurricane after hurricane is hitting us in the face. And, besides, best of luck to everyone in the path of these storms!

And now to something completely different (a favorite Monty Python quote of mine):

Rummaging through useful news, info, and commentary clips I came across yet another TYT segment I’d like to share, because this is huge news, IMHOP, for the majority of Americans. You know, Equifax isn’t a company that you do business with. They get your data without your consent. With 143 million folks affected, most adult Americans may now soon be targeted with identity theft and the many horrible after-effects, as soon as the crooks can catch up with their enormous windfall. Expect to never qualify for a loan again, be blacklisted from employment and rental apartments, possibly for the rest of your life, and get arrested out of the blue for crimes you didn’t commit and know nothing about. I have long felt that our credit bureaus and collection agencies were a scourge on our country, and now they are about to prove it to everybody:

(Note: if the video linked above gets deleted, you may search the Internet for the title: “UNPRECEDENTED Hack Leaks Financial Info Of 143 MILLION People “)

Hmm… on the other hand, maybe the wave of identity theft we may now experience may create a strong enough backlash to also give us a tool to fight the ongoing criminalization of political dissidents…? I wonder.

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